Jeff Tweedy - Shepherds Bush Empire

This was a strange one – in London for one show only, and essentially to provide publicity and support for the fiery full-band live album “Kicking Television” – Jeff Tweedy from Wilco played a solo show at what is fast becoming my favourite London live music venue – The Shepherds Bush Empire.

I’ve often dreamed of seeing Jeff Tweedy play one of his elusive solo shows. The latest line-up of Wilco focus predominantly on the last couple of albums (quite understandable given “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and “A Ghost Is Born” are the two albums they’ve created as a cohesive unit) – but I got into Jeff Tweedy along time ago in the Uncle Tupelo days and have followed the many twists and turns he’s led Wilco through – from alt-country rock gods, to post-rock noise merchants with a pop twist!

So the solo shows always seemed like the best way to take in the entire Jeff Tweedy catalog – sit back while he strums a few of the oldies, strips back a few more recent songs, and maybe even throws in the odd cool cover or even a new song he’s just written. Admittedly in my mind this gig takes place in the farm house / recording studio the band now live in – and I get a job as a full-time editor/archivist for the band – do to my extensive knowledge of their back catalog and a shared history of rock and roots favourites.

Well – apart from the whole farm house thing – tonight’s show at The Shepherd’s Bush Empire pretty much delivered everything I wanted. Kicking off with ‘Sunken Treasure’ the show was a great mix of all facets of JTs career – side projects: Golden Smog’s ‘Please Tell My Brother’ and Mermaid Avenue’s ‘’Christ for President’ and ‘Remember The Mountain Bed’ – back catalog stuff dating back to Uncle Tupelo with ‘Black Eye’, ‘Wait Up’ and my personal favourite ‘New Madrid’. There was a new song – in the form of Loose Furs ‘The Ruling Class’ (a great one about Jesus returning as some kind of deal makin’, crack smokin’ marketing executive), plus plenty of old skool Wilco: ‘She’s A Jar’, ‘Summer Teeth’, ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’, and an encore opening ‘Passenger Side’.

But for me – the biggest revelation was how well the more recent Wilco stuff translated to the solo acoustic format. A main-set closing ‘Reservations’ was amazing – and for me the highlight of the night, but ‘Theologians’, ‘Muzzle Of Bees’ and show closer ‘The Late Greats’ all sounded fantastic.

A great cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘John Wesley Harding’ was also really well received – especially with the self depreciating introduction (as Dylan was also playing across town) “boy did you make the wrong choice”. (Almost) a dream come true show!

Soho, London UK

"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand,
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain,
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's,
Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein,"
- Warren Zevon "Werewolves of London" 1978.

I love Warren Zevon. With the possible exception of Kurt Cobain - I don't think a "rock death" has hit me so hard. It wasn't just that he left behind such great music, but the way he handled knowing he was going to pass on.... recording the cover of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", the doco about his life filmed over his final months (including doctors visits), the Letterman episode where he was the only guest, but most of all his response when Letterman asked if facing death had given him any more insight into life ("not unless I know how much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich").

I saw Warren perform live in Melbourne once. It was October 1992 and he was touring solo (much of this tour, including a couple of songs from the Adelaide date a couple of nights before I saw him was documented on the outstanding 1993 live album 'Learning To Flinch'). It was at The Grain Store Tavern in King street (a shocking venue as a nightclub, even worse for live performance) with 3/4 of the floor space taken up with a recording rig. Warren wandered on without any introduction delivered a riveting "Boom Boom Mancini". When he finished, a roadie ran on to gaffa something down, which prompted Warren's first comments of the night: "it's a little early for the black tape don't you think?".

Keen eyed viewers will note I'm recreating the werewolf howl ("ah-oooh"). About twenty minutes after this photo was taken - it started pouring with rain. Not unusual for London in November, but I like to think it was the spirit of Warren looking down.

Gorilliaz – Demon Days live – Manchester Opera House

We took a day off work to get the train up to Manchester to see The Gorillaz play as part of an arts festival there.

On paper it sounded pretty cool – they’re doing 5 nights and everyone who appeared on the last album (60+ people apparently) will be appearing together for the first time.

It reality it was even more special - awesome venue, string section, 2 choirs, guest appearances by Neneh Cherry, De La Soul & Shaun Ryder among others, fantastic sound...brilliant all round. As Kim said "believe it when you hear Damon Albarn is a genius".

The highlight for me was the roof raising reception for local hero Shaun Ryder appearing for "Dare" - and the school kid chorus for "Dirty Harry".

Damon seemed happy to stick in the background for the most part - visible in silhouette grinning and conducting from a keyboard. He does come forward to centre-stage for the encore of 'Hong Kong' (a great song not on the Demon Days album but available of the more recent War Child charity compilation - Help A Day In The Life).

Hi-def cameras were swarming all around the venue filming the shows for a DVD release - so look out for that one when it appears.

Free Trade Hall - Manchester, UK

For many years a focal point for public debate and cultural activity in Manchester - however in my tiny world, the event of most significance that happened here was May 17 1966 - when a disgruntled folk purist heckled Bob Dylan with a cry of "judas" (for selling out the folk music movement and commercialising his music by using electric instruments) inspiring Dylan and backing band to an incendary performance, oft bootlegged (mis-labelled as "Royal Albert Hall '66") and subsequently officially released in 1998 as part of the ongoing Bootleg Series.

Sadly - the Free Trade Hall has actually been completely refurbished as a Radisson Hotel - however they've kept the original facia and you can make out the gold "Free Tade Hall" at the very top of the photo.

In additional rock and roll reference - one of the smaller upstairs rooms at the Free Trade Hall (the Lesser Free Trade Hall) was also the site of a pivotal punk rock show featuring the Sex Pistols, and attending by about 40 people "all of whom went on to form a band" (amongst them Morrissey, Bernard Sumner of New Order, Ian Curtis of Joy Division, and Mick Hucknall of Simply Red!). This gig formed a major scene in the fantastic Tony Wilson bio-pic 24 Hour Party People - using a mix of actual footage from the show, with a recreation for the film.

It might be difficult to make out - but I'm recreating the "judas" cry in the photo.